Emergency warnings have been issued for two fires in northeastern NSW which are threatening an Aboriginal settlement and rural properties.
An out-of-control grassfire is burning west of Tabulum with authorities warning it could spread to the nearby Jubullu Aboriginal settlement on Tuesday afternoon.
The Tabulum township could also be affected, the NSW Rural Fire Service said.
People in the area of the settlement "should seek shelter if the fire impacts" and protect themselves from its heat.
"Emergency alert telephone warnings are being sent to telephones in the area," the RFS said in a statement.
An emergency warning has also been issued to people in the vicinity of a fast-moving bushfire burning south of Inverell in northern NSW which has already burned almost 1000 hectares.
Firefighters and aircraft have been unable to slow the fire which is burning to the east of Lake Copeton and spreading quickly towards Tingha. Properties are threatened.
A watch and act alert has been issued for a bushfire at Warrabah near Tamworth with RFS warning fire activity is increasing in the area.
Crews are battling almost 40 bush and grass fires across NSW with nine not yet contained.
A statewide fire ban was issued for Tuesday with temperatures tipped to reach the low-40s in some areas accompanied by high winds.
The ban has been extended to Wednesday for the state's North West, Far North Coast, Northern Slopes and New England regions.
Parts of NSW will continue to experience very high to severe fire danger conditions, the RFS said on Twitter.
Strong winds, warm low-level temperatures and dry conditions combined with dry fuel from heatwave conditions in recent months have led to elevated fire danger, a BoM spokesman told AAP.
The fire danger will peak as maximum temperatures are recorded on Tuesday afternoon, the spokesman said.
But a southerly change should move through from the state's south later, hitting Sydney in the early hours of Wednesday.
Australian Associated Press
